And Ever After
by Wolfborn
Summary: The Reapers are gone, a baby's on the way and Earth, along with what's left of the galaxy, has been restored to normal. But since when has it ever been that easy? Set after 'In The End...', part of the 'Going the Distance' triology. Rated M for violence and Shepard's sailor mouth, along with mild sexual reference. Contains spoilers, naturally.
1. House Party

**Been a while since I posted one, but here it is at last! A new story! This is part of a Triology I'm making which involved the prequel 'In The End...'. Hope you enjoy the humor in this story and I do hope the swearing doesn't put you off, bad girl Shepard has a mouth on her when she's mad. Didn't put this in humor or drama as it didn't seem right, so Sci-Fi seemed more action based. First ever action story, so don't be mad if it's bad.**

* * *

**...And Ever After**

It had been eight long months since Shepard had saved the galaxy, the universe even... During those eight months, she had said goodbye to her former friend, Anderson, made her peace with the death of good comrades in arms, even because a icon of heroism... And fear. True, Shepard was no ideal hero. If she wanted to, she'd shoot someone to get a access code the instead of going on a stupid fetch job... How she hated being the little errand girl of others. But those days were behind her for now. Right now, she needed to focus on her future. Or more so, the future of the little girl inside of her. Cereburus had done a lot of things to Shepard. Screwed her over, used her ruthless ways, tried to kill her... But this was the one thing she liked. Her implants had birthed the impossible...

"Shepard... What are you thinking?"

Two warm, if dry, talons wrapped around her waist as a soft and playful tongue licked her neck. The one thing she was grateful to Cereburus... They brought her back and let her bear the child of the only man she ever loved. Garrus Vakrian...

"Nothing... Just... Us."

She revelled in the feeling of her lover's hold. Just one more month and they would be the first couple ever to birth a human/turian child. Granted, it wasn't easy to start with... The fact Shepard craved a lot more things than a human pregnancy wasn't easy to hand. One day it was food, the next it was violence... Much to Garrus' surprise, it was even sex one day. But now she was ok and their child almost mature. Life on Earth was peaceful now. Just the world their child needed. During the first few months, they had helped Humanity rebuild. It didn't matter if it was clearing out raiders, simply dealing with politics or rebuilding homes, they helped. Shepard didn't truly want to help... But she wanted a home for her child... That was reason to help enough.

So now, eight months down the line, Shepard was stood on their home's balcony, in her black tank-top and black sweat pants, with Garrus in his casual clothes holding her tight, thinking only of the moment when they become parents.

Of course, this story would be much shorter had Shepard been spared her usual luck. Life is only ever easy in fairytales...

It was a simple day when it had first happened. Shepard had just finished a call to Tali, who was overwhelmed with joy for Shepard and Garrus being so close and for being able to have a child together. She'd never admit it, but she did cry a lot from her happiness then blame it on her suit. Just as she turned off the comm, it immediatly burst into life once again. With a angered grunt, Shepard turned it back on.

"What the fuck is it?"

"Shepard, the shit has hit the fan and it's flying at you."

The dull, constantly angry sounding voice of Wrex boomed through the headset.

"The hell are you talking about?"

"Shepard, I don't have much time to explain. Remember the splinter cell of Cereburus? They know where you are! With you carrying the turian's kid, they have more than enough reason to hunt you down like a rabid varren."

"Wrex, what do you-?"

"Just trust me Shepard! Get Vakarian, get whoever you can, just get yourself ready!"

The comm shut off, not from Shepard's or Wrex's hand, but from a sudden power outage. Shepard's house was in blackout, but she could see the lights on in the street. She knew in that very instant... She wasn't alone in the house anymore.

Within seconds, the windows shattered, cereburus commandos and shocktroopers bursting into the once peaceful home of the galatic hero. Wrestling control of one of the commandos, Shepard turned him into a flesh shield, firing back with his own gun as his body was riddled with slugs. The dark room flashed constantly during the assault of weaponry, Shepard soon discarding the body of the commando she used, skillfully using the rifle in her hand to kill several more troopers as they burst into the room.

"Get the HELL out of my house!"

While it wasn't the best idea when thinking of preserving her home, Shepard unleashed her biotics, sending several more troopers through the wall, scattering them outside in twisted and broken poses. Being a smart woman (not to mention impulsively violent), Shepard dove into the kitchen, grunting in pain as she landed on her back to avoid hurting her unborn daughter. Reaching under the counter, she pulled out a hidden compartment, taking out a Carniflex hand cannon and a small shield generator.

"Never leave home without it."

A dark smile cross her lips as she actived the generator after attaching it to her tanktop. Panting, having always been in the prime fitness and never pregnant before, Shepard take a deep breath and stood with her hand out stretched, throwing her sofa across the room to break the bones of some more commandos.

"I swear to god, I will fuck you up for wrecking my house!"

Unaware of the irony that she herself was the primary destroyer of her abode, Shepard continues with the siege, her Carniflex and natural markmanship making many soldiers' heads pop like over ripe grapes in a vice. More and more poured into the house, some with metal shields, others with jetpacks... Not many of them capable of fending off the violent onslaught that Shepard brought. Using her biotics, she violently clubbed some guardians to death with their own shields, ramming the hard metal through another victim afterwards. Those with jetpacks lasted even less as she easily plucked them out of the air, making certain their necks snapped on impact.

"DIE! DIE! DIE YOU HOME WRECKING BASTARDS!"

Throwing her now empty gun to the floor, Shepard rose her arms, growling like a feral creature as she began to release attack after attack with her biotics. However, as any biotic knows, no one can go forever. Sure enough, Shepard fell to her knee, gasping for air as the draw on her pregnant body was nearly too much for her to handle.

"D-Damn it... G-Getting too old... For this shit..."

This was all Cereburus needed to get in close. Several soldiers rushed Shepard's postion before she could get her breath back and no one, not even the most pathetic of shooters, can miss at close range. There was a click as they readied their weapons...

And then came the gunshot...

* * *

One of the soldiers fell, a hole where his face used to be. While the others looked for the new attacker, even if it was for a brief moment, it was all Shepard needed. Releasing a heavy wall of biotic force, she leveled the soldiers infront of her, hiding behind the kitchen counter once more to catch her breath. Looking to her side, she saw her savior besides her.

"You took your damn time."

"Sorry. Couldn't get down the street without adding a few to the scratch board."

Garrus always was one to show off. Dressed in casual clothes, he didn't seem as serious as he did in armour. But then again, when a turian's packing a Viper rifle, you kinda need to take him seriously, even if he was running around naked.

"The baby ok?"

"Yeah, she's fine I think. I got a headache and might end up coughing blood at some point, but she's safe."

Garrus smiled as best as a turian could, stroking her belly with a talon as he shot over the counter, nailing a commando in the head, the slug blasting though him to kill an enginner behind him.

"Good. Now, go get your shotgun. I'll cover you."

Shepard, as always when she was with him, smiled and climbed to her knees, rushing to the bedroom as she did. Any commando that dared target her got a round in their head. Making a made dash for the bed, more hostiles burst in through the bedroom windows and unloaded slugs around the room. Sliding along the floor, Shepard snatched up her Scmitar and blasted them hard against the wall.

"Guess not everyone likes it rough."

With a dark chuckle, she charged back into the kitchen, slipping into cover besides her lover.

"When was the last time we did stuff like this?"

Shooting over the counter and shredding into the guts of an enemy with her shot, Shepard shrugged.

"I don't know. I honestly thought my days of being targetted was over."

The turian smirked and popped out of cover, overloading a weapon and causing it to blow the face off of a commando.

"Right, cos you clearly aren't enjoying the violence and having me cover your back."

"Wouldn't be the first time you've covered it recently, only this time it's not in your-"

A loud explosion at the far end of the living room muted her words. Either help or more work arrived.

"You're not going to make me blush."

With a commando flying over the counter, upside down, the heroine curb stomped his face in.

"Not giving up anytime soon."

Giving him a quick peck on the mandible, the two popped out of cover and began a heavy assualt on the troopers remaining, Garrus handling the long range and technical side of war, Shepard the biotic and close range, dealing with mid-range on occasion by swapping out to her Carnifex.

"We still got that Launcher nearby?"

"Yeah, under the sink, why?"

The Titan mech that crashed through the roof, narrowly applying jets to prevent it decent through the lower floors, answered his question. Of course, by the time the dust settled, Shepard had already prepared and armed the weapon, aiming it at the enemy.

"Oh, no reason."

A flash and a bang later, the living room was more a morgue, the collective bodies of dead commandos and rubble from the extra crispy mech littering the area. Working their way to the hole in the wall, stepping over body and dodging flame, the sprinkers only just starting to activate, the two look over at the opposite building.

"Hey, Lola! Heard there was a party, figured you needed some help."

James Vega. Smart mouthed son of a bitch extrodinare.

"You owe me a new wall, Vega! Or is it commander now?"

He shook his head, smirking.

"Not yet. Still training, it's the whole reason I'm here. Command said there was some group gathering here, figured you may have gone loco at last."

"At last? Guess you don't remember the suicide mission me and her went on, huh? Uh, right side."

Turning and snatching the phantom by the arm, Vega throwing the slim body over the roof. No amount of cheap ass backflipping would save them from gravity and cement. Turning back to the turian, Vega shook his head.

"Come on, Scales, she stopped the Reapers and almost died doing so. It's not loco, just Shepard. Above you."

Blasting through the ceiling with her shotgun, another phantom falls. Garrus chuckled, holding his lover tight.

"Damn right it is. So how about we meet you on the roof and we see if you've gotten any better at shooting?"

"You're on. See you guys in a minute."

With that, the three headed to the roof, Vega jumping the gap over the alley below, Garrus and Shepard taking the stairs. Of course, this wasn't without problems. Approaching the stairwell, Shepard fired a few biotic walls upwards, causing several commandos to fall all the way down the many flights of stairs.

"For god sake! You'd think after all the shit we've had with elevators in the past, stairs would be easier!"

Garrus chuckled, covering their acscent from behind.

"You mean the time with Kai Lang? And when Saren deactivated the lifts when we tried to stop him? And all those floating platforms the Collector's had which I almost fell from?"

With a roar, Shepard sent several enemies flying through the wall, some likely to have been thrown into the apartment complex next door.

"Exactly! And now stairs are an issue! I'm getting a damn jetpack when this is over!"

As her lovers chuckled more, she couldn't help but break out a smile too. He was right. She was enjoying it all, she always did. Pregnant or not, nothing could stop her loving every moment of the gore.

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**There! Done! Part one for you all to read. I always chuckle at some of the things I put in here, the elevator joke has to be my favorite. R&R and hopefully I'll churn out the next few pages soon. Been a very rough time for me recently and I've neglected my stories so much so that there's at least 12 on hiatus! Hope to finish them all and get in the mood again cos I'm already delaying three massive projects (two big stories and a script)! Hope you all enjoy and sorry again for the delay.**


	2. Raising The Roof

**And now for the second chapter! Been ages, I know, but I've 1) lack inspiration and 2) been getting heavy nutshots by life. God I hate life and it's backhanded ways... Anyway, hope you enjoy it. As stated before, I am REALLY not good with action, so I hope this is dramatic enough to be good for you all to read. Now on to the concluding part of the second part of my triology!**

**" - Speech**

**' - Thought**

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**...And Ever After: Chapter 2**

Having killed several dozen more troops on the way to the roof, Garrus and Shepard finally met up with James, who appeared to have had an easier time then they with only a few corpses around him.

"What took you so long, Lola?"

With a growl, a blood soaked Shepard glared at her comrad.

"Shut the fuck up! I'm not in the fucking mood!"

Vega shook his head, smirking.

"Oh come on now. Commander Shepard not enjoying the violence?"

"Not today I'm not! Close to my due date and I'm fighting these assholes. When am I ever gonna get a break?"

Garrus patted her shoulder, giving a soft grin.

"Give it time. You're not exactly one to believe in 'karma' anyway."

The trio gathered, ready for battle as always.

"So... What's the plan, Shepard?"

"The plan?"

She turned, readying her gun as she spotted several more commandos approaching in the distance. Garrus aimed his rifle as Vega prepped his machine gun.

"Kill every mother fucker who comes at us."

They grinned and in unison, said aloud.

"Just like old times."

And so began the firefight. The turian landed a few pot shots at distance soldiers as James handled a rear guard, Shepard killing any who dare get close. Blood painted the floors, flesh was rendered from bone and bodies rained down on the floor between the apartment buildings, noticeable clangs of bone against steel from some as they struck balconies on their way down. For a woman who was heavily pregnant, Shepard hadn't missed a beat, his shields rarely having to regenerate. Clip after clip was emptied into the enemies, some wasted, most well used. Phantoms came, threating to cut the three open, but where put down with brutal force. It was just as Jane slammed one of these backflipping ninja wannabes into the floor, shotgun blowing her arm clean off, losing blood by the pint, that she noticed her current problem.

"Er, guys? Running low on clips here!"

Garrus backed against his beloved, panting from the prolonged battle.

"Same here. Vega! How's your clip situation?"

Vega tossed a grenade, taking out a corner of the roof in the process.

"Not good. That was the last pineapple I was holding too."

Jane gritted her teeth.

"Shit, shit, SHIT! What the fuck are we going to do!?"

Suddenly, the turian's omni-tool burst to life.

"GARRUS! Are you there?"

It was his dextro-amino buddy, Tali.

"Tali!? Kinda in the middle of something here!"

"I know! That's why I'm calling!"

Shepard threw up a biotic wall, kneeling in an attempt to hold it for a while longer.

"Hurry the fuck up Tali and get to the point!"

"I am! Kee'lah! We got in contact with Kaiden and he's sent out help. You just need to hold on till they get there. You can do that right, Shepard?"

She grunted, the battle taking it's stain on her.

"Oh, yeah. Low on clips, no armour, pregnant and facing off against a fucking army of dicks who want my blood... No problem!"

Shepard sarcasm was bitter, growling to her team.

"Every fucking time..."

"They're nearly there, just hold out ok?"

The comm shut off, leaving Shepard to her team, her barrier being struck hard.

"Fuck, fuck and fuck again... Alright, ready for round two?"

The two males nodded. With a roar, Jane released a shockwave with her barrier, taking out a few soldiers in the process, resting as the two men covered her. Slugs tore into their shields but not into flesh, the battle now turning against them.

* * *

"How the hell do they have so many soldiers!? I thought you wiped most of them out!"

Shepard rose, firing her Carniflex at the enemy, abandoning her empty shotgun on the floor.

"It's not the same group! It's the extremists ever the Illusive man didn't want!"

Garrus was forced to use his omni-blade as a Guardian got close, slicing through his body easily.

"Make sense. We only ever fought these guys once, they must've be bolstering their ranks behind the scenes."

Shepard's gun clicked, causing her to release a flurry of curses from her depleted ammo. Not soon after, Vega's followed. Then Vakarian's. Forcing up yet another Barrier, her body barely able to take anymore stress, she fell to her knees, nose bleeding heavily and running down her lips.

"Fuck... This isn't how I thought I'd die..."

Garrus knelt besides her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"We're NOT going to die! We've made it through worse! YOU'VE made it through worse! Don't give up on me yet, Jane!"

Vega knelt infront of her.

"He's right, Lola. You're commandor frickin' Shepard. The hardest, most badass soldier Earth ever saw! You're not gonna fall, not here, not now."

Shepard gritted her teeth, her barrier slowly shrinking in size. She was in pain, but enduring.

"Garrus... I... Fuck, you're the best thing to ever happen to me..."

She gave a weak smile, unable to see or open her eyes in her state. Garrus gripped her shoulder firmly.

"Shepard, don't-"

"No... I love you... I'm sorry I never saw before, that it took a damn suicide mission to bring us together, that you had to wait for me. Truth is..."

She coughed up blood, causing her love to hold her tightly.

"Shepard!"

"...I couldn't be happier to have your child inside of me... To be with you... You're so perfect..."

The commandor's barrier flicked under the heavy assault of slugs, almost ready to fail.

"Lola, don't give up now! Don't you dare give up on us now!"

"Shepard! SHEPARD!"

With Vakarian's roar, the skies seemed to part with the sound of thunder. Only, it wasn't thunder. It was Alliance military crafts raining hell down on the enemy, leveling the vast majority of the remaining Cereberus soldiers. Shepard's barrier died as she rested against her lover, barely awake. With a craft landing close to the trio, Kaiden stepped out. He ran up to Shepard, looking over her, before turning to his old friend.

"Vakarian, status report!"

"Shepard held off the last of the hostiles. She's took a beating."

"Biotics overuse. I understand."

As Kaiden reached down to lift Shepard's head, intent on making sure she's fine, he felt a hand grip his.

"You... Even dare to touch me..."

Shepard's eyes focused lazily on Kaiden's face, a dark and bloody grin crossing her lips.

"I'm breaking your arm."

There was a soft chuckle as they helped her to her feet, Shepard insisting she doesn't need any help.

"Fuck, Lola, you're one hell of an actor. Thought you were done for."

Shepard shrugged as she began to wipe her bloody face clean, her forearms soaked in blood as a result.

"Almost was. You can kinda see..."

Vega patted her back, walking with Alenko as they all made their way to the landing craft.

"Well, you may look like shit, but you're alive. That's what matters."

"Fuck you, Vega."

"I don't know..."

Garrus piped up, giving his lover a soft hug.

"At least then we'd have a matching look."

Shepard laid her head against his shoulder as they walked. Reaching the cargo hold door, Garrus stopped with Shepard.

"So... You meant everything you said back there... Right? It's not just some spur of the moment thing you humans do."

Jane held his talons, shaking her head.

"No, I meant it all. Seriously, Garrus... I never want to think of a life without you."

The turian smiled and kissed his girl softly.

"That, I think I can do."

Shepard watched as her lover walked onto the craft, smiling. Sure, she'd spent the last few minutes at death's door trying to protect him and he'd never be as good as she was when it comes to gunfights, but he was literally the best thing to happen to her. Her life had been chaos and violence, blood and war. She'd never experienced peace as she'd always considered someone longing for a peaceful life to be a pussy. But, after she had a taste, she understood why people wanted that life. She wanted to have a family with Garrus. She wanted to have a normal, non-Reaper infested life. He had given that to her and, disregarding today, she would always have that normal life. But when she truely thought about it, it wasn't just a normal life she had been given. He was her life.

However, her content contempation on her life and happiness was ruined as pain tore into her body, her body falling numb. She gasped for air as she looked down, the familar scent of blood filling the air. There, just below her ribs, was a katana's point, dripping with blood. Garrus looked back, his heart shattering as he spotted a Banshee behind her, holding the blade within her. He screamed her name and ran to her, Kaiden and Vega following in hot pursuit, unable to fire lest they risk hitting Shepard. But to Shepard, she didn't hear them. To her, they were running to slow. All she heard was the murderous bitch behind her.

"Game Over, Alien whore."

She clenched her fist, pushing back on the katana, forcing it deeper through her. Bringing back her elbow, she slammed it hard into the woman's face, more pain shooting through her body. As she faced her enemy, she grabbed her and hugged her tight to her body, slamming armour against flesh, the katana in Shepard's body forced into the Banshee. However, unlike Shepard, the katana slipped into her heart, leaving her with mere seconds of life.

"Game Over... Indeed..."

The two slumped to the ground, Shepard coughing up blood, trembling as her vision began to fade. As Vega kicked the body of the banshee away, Garrus craddled her in his arms.

"NO! Shepard, please god, no!"

She hated seeing him cry. She tried to compair it to the pain she was in now but she couldn't feel anything anymore. Kaiden was knelt beside her but facing his men.

"GET A FUCKING MEDI-EVAC DOWN HERE NOW!"

"Garrus... Don't worry..."

Jane patted his chest softly, smearing blood on his body.

"I'm not... Not..."

'Going anywhere... Oh, fuck...'

"Shepard!? SHEPARD!"

As light faded from her view and as her ears fell deaf to the world, she felt one last stab of pain and an unusual warmth. With just a few seconds left to think, Shepard saw in perfect clarity what it was.

'Oh shit... My water broke...'

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**I love cliffhangers at times. This is one of those times. You'll find out if she survived in the concluding part of the triology and what happened to the baby as well. I realize this is a little short, but you gotta understand I can't stretch genres I'm not good at out very well. Hope you enjoyed this, R&R and I will hopefully be back soon with yet another story for you to enjoy. Think I might upload multi-chaptered stories all together in the future, less pressure on me that way. Anyway, thanks to all of you who have been reading my stuff, it's great knowing my stuff is liked.**


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